Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-04-30
THE SACRED TlENT OF WAR.
Tho Gift Of an Indian Tribe to the Pea
body Museum.

The eighteenth and nineteenth annual
reports Of the trustees of the Peabodv
Museum of American Archaeology and
Ethnology to the president and fellows
of Harvard College, have just appeared
together in one handsome pamphlet
Among the articles added to the collec.
tons in 1884 was a contribution Of
great interest and value, secured bv
Miss Alice w. Fletcher. rs q result Of
her remarkable selfsacriic,n ethnclo.
gical researches among the Omaha In.
dams in Dakota. THIS is nothing less
than the contents of THE Sacred Tent
of War" of the Omaha tribe, given Ly
the tribe as a proof of their earnestness
In adopting q new life. abandoning
their tribal system, and taking up lands
in severalty - citizens. according to ar.
engagements by the government. As
Prof. Putnam says. n must enter fully
into the Utmost recesses of Indian
thought and customs in order, to appre-
ciate the great importance of the trust
the museum has in its perpetual keep
ing. for it is comprised Of objects which.
for generations, have been held sacred
among the Omahas.
Miss Fletcher thus ch~aracterizes the
collection in a letter, in which she gives
the pathetic speech Of the chief in pre-
senting it:
1.-THE sacred tent Of war was vital to
the autonomy Of the tribe. Without II,
wal and craftsmanship were impossible.
It gave rank to the tribe among other
tribes, and caused the Omahas to be
feared as enemies and consulted as
friends. The present act of the keepers
of the sacred articles is without a par
allel. The putting away Of these an
cient signs and symbols of authority,
without any i%conoclasm. but with the
sober appreciation that a new era is
upon the people, wherein they have no
part or place, marks the Omaha tribe as
possessed of men having extraordinary
degree of mind and character. 10 our
own a C these relics may appear
strange. trivial, or forbidding; they are
certainly objects ~unidealized to our
thoughts, but they have a significance
which tells of courage and s~elf-devotion.
These noble traits lie at the base of the
act that has gently laid these articles
among the historical remains of the In
dian race; a race Of the past. whose
only future lies in the possibilities of
American citizenship. To-day as Ma
hin-thin-gae came to put his sacred
charge out of his keeping and into that
of the museum, I could not but wish
that his brave and unique act might
find its worthy place in history. In .
low voice he said: These sacred arti-
Giles have been in my family for many
generations. no one knows how long.
My SON have chosen q different path
from that trodden by their fathers. I
had thought to have these things buried
with me, but if you will care Tor them
and place them where they wish to
think of the past and the way their
fathers walked, you may do SO. Should
there come q time when I care to look
once more IN that which has been with
my fathers, I would like to be permitted
to do so. l know that the members of
my family are willing I should commit
these articles to your care; no other per-
sons have q right to question my action
though there are men who will say hard
things OF me because of this act"
'It was late in the afternoon when
we reached Ma-hin-thin-gae's lodge.
The sun had set The old man was
sitting alone outside his dwelling in the
fading light, taking a last look at the
ancient belongings Of his gems. On our
arrival he led the way to where he had
gathered thom for delivery, and. lifting
them into the wagon, said with quiet
haste: They are all there and turned
away. We, too, turned and left Us the
round moon suddenly rose over the
valley. "-Boston Herald.